om for any in her happy face.

"To tell you the truth," replied Uvo, unblushingly, "I was on my way to
show it to a bit of a connoisseur at Richmond." He turned to Berridge,
who met his glance eagerly. "That's really why I borrowed it, Guy. I
believe it's more valuable than either of you realise."

"Not to me!" cried the accountant readily. "I don't know what I was
doing to take it off. I hear it's a most unlucky thing to do."

It was easy to see from whom he had heard it. Miss Hemming said nothing,
but looked all the more decided with her mouth quite shut. And Delavoye
addressed his apologies to the proper quarter.

"I'm awfully sorry, Miss Hemming! Of course you're quite right; but I
hope you'll show it to my man yourselves----"

"If you don't mind," said Berridge, holding out his hand with a smile.

But Uvo had broken off of his own accord.

"I think you'll be glad"--he was feeling in all his pockets--"quite glad
if you do--" and his voice died away as he began feeling again.

"Lucky I wired to you to meet me at Richmond, wasn't it, Edie? Otherwise
we should have been too late," said the accountant densely.

"Perhaps you are!" poor Uvo had to cry outright. "I--the fact is
I--can't find it anywhere."

"You may have left it behind," suggested Berridge.

"We can call for it, if you did," said the girl.

There was something in his sudden worry that appealed to their common
fund of generosity.

"No, no! I told you why I was going to Richmond. I thought I had it in
my ticket pocket. In fact, I know I had; but I went with my sister this
morning to get some flowers at Kingston market, and I haven't had it out
since. It's been taken from me, and that was where! I wish you'd feel in
my pockets for me. I've had them picked--picked of the one thing that
wasn't mine, and was of value--and now you'll neither of you ever
forgive me, and I don't deserve to be forgiven!"

But they did forgive him, and that handsomely--so manifest was his
distress--so great their recovered happiness. It was only I who could
not follow their example, when they had gone on their way, and Delavoye
and I were hurrying on ours, ostensibly to get the Richmond police to
telephone at once to Kingston, as the first of all the energetic steps
that we were going to take. For we were still in that asphalt passage,
and the couple had scarcely quitted it at the other end, when Delavoye
drew off his glove and showed me the missing ring upon his little